001 An Unearthly Child by Anthony Coburn
Illustrated by bananatotheparty
When teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton offer to privately tutor Susan, their strange and otherworld student she rejects their offer on the grounds of her grandfather “not liking strangers”. The pair decide to follow her home to see if everything is alright. They are surprised to discover that her home address leads them to a junkyard on Totter’s Lane and they follow her in to find nothing but a police box. However, the surprises have only just begun.
Her grandfather, a mysterious wanderer in time and space and a fugitive from his home world, kidnaps Ian and Barbara for fear of them revealing their secret and whisks them away to 100,000 BC, to the dawn of man and the birthplace of fire. Will the teachers ever make it home? Can they escape the Cave of Skulls? How can a police box really be bigger on the inside?
The real question is: Doctor Who?
STORY FACTS ~
- Introduces The First Doctor, Barbara Wright, Ian Chesterton, Susan Foreman and the TARDIS.
- The TARDIS is first described as being “alive”.
- The TARDIS’ chameleon circuit is broken for the first time.
- Susan claims to have come up with the name TARDIS and its meaning (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) herself. This is no longer considered canon.
- This is the only story where the Doctor is seen to be smoking.
- Alternate titles for this story are 100,000 BC, The Tribe of Gum, The Firemakers and The Cavemen.